I am but a humble traveler, blessed beyond what I could ever ask for.

The Weekend That Was: Steamtown

It’s interesting to think that there was a time when airplanes, which are a big part of not only travel, but industry and economy, were not around years ago.

This weekend, my boyfriend and I had the chance to visit Steamtown National Historic Park in Scranton, PA, a few hours drive from NYC. It was a great way to learn about the history of the railroad, steam engines and how steam trains contributed to American economy in the 19th century, prior to the advent of the diesel engine — transporting people, food and everything you could think of, across the country — until the automobile industry took over.

Life-size figures make you feel like you were really at the train station in the 19th century.

Wooden luggages by a postal train, to demonstrate how it must have been in the days of the locomotive.

The museums were very educational and informative regarding the history of the locomotive, and you could take a 45 minute ride on a steam or diesel train. We did all these, but enjoyed the museums much more than the ride (though it was a nice experience).

According to the movie they were showing in the museum theatre, the last locomotive stopped running when people learned how much faster airplanes are. It will be very fascinating to look ahead into the future, what type of technology are we going to have and are we going to look back at any of our current modes of transportation with the same nostalgia as the way we look at steam engines?